Green Tea Rice

Description:

Japanese short-grain rice is sweet, pearly and sticky enough to pick up with your chopsticks. (Look for the excellent Nishiki brand of rice, available in most Japanese markets.) Do not skip the rinsing and soaking process: the initial rinsing rids the rice of the powdered bran and polishing compound, while the soaking plumps the grains with water to render them tender and slightly tacky.

Preparation:

Place rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold water, using your hand to gently stir the rice until the milky-white liquid runs clear, about 2 minutes.

2

Transfer the rice to a heavy medium saucepan and add water and sake. Let soak for at least 1 hour.

3

Using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind tea leaves and salt to make a powder. Stir it into the rice.

4

Bring the rice to a boil. Reduce heat to very low and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes more, so it can settle and finish cooking.

5

Remove the lid and gently stir the rice. Sprinkle each serving with some toasted sesame seeds.

Tips:

Substitution note: Although brown rice is not used in traditional Japanese cooking, you can use short-grain brown rice instead of white rice in this recipe. Rinse and soak the rice as directed in Steps 1 and 2. In Step 4, increase water to 2 1/2 cups and cook the brown rice for 22 minutes, then let rest for 10 minutes.

Tip: To toast sesame seeds: Heat a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add sesame seeds and cook, stirring, until they are lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.